The Bulldogs have enjoyed seeing the sights of Hawai'i before getting back to business preparing for the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.

Dec. 22, 2012

By Theresa Kurtztkurtz@csufresno.eduGoBulldogs.com

HONOLULU - The Fresno State football team has spent the last few days practicing and enjoying its surroundings in Hawai'i. The Bulldogs face SMU in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. on ESPN.

While the `Dogs have been practicing once a day and meeting to prepare for their game against the Mustangs, they have also been relishing the beautiful island of Oah'u. Now the fun is winding down and the Bulldogs are shifting gears to their final game of 2012.

The Bulldogs have attended different events each day since arriving on the Island last Wednesday. The events included a BBQ on the beach, a lu'au at the Royal Hawaiian and a pep rally. Aside from the events and practice, the team had chances to hang out with each other and relax.

Several members of the team spent one afternoon on mopeds touring Honolulu, while others surfed, hung out on the beach or went paddle boarding. The Bulldogs favorite spot to hang out was the beach and in the ocean.

The `Dogs, many of which brought cameras, have taken photos of each other everywhere from the ocean to learning how to hula dance. At the lu'au, the Bulldogs also were entertained by hula dancers and fire dancers.

One of the final events leading up to the game was the Kickoff Dinner held Saturday night. The `Dogs started the night off by taking a team photo in their blue Hawaiian shirts and then headed for the banquet.

"We had a great bowl banquet today," said head coach Tim DeRuyter. "It was a more traditional bowl function. It was nice and neat for both teams to get a chance to get together for another function. It It really culminates the end of festivities for bowl week."

The highlight of the banquet was when the Bulldog marching band and spirit squad performed along with Timeout. The band pumped up the crowd and had the `Dogs dancing and singing the fight song.

Sunday will be the final day of preparation for the Bulldogs. The `Dogs will review film and hold meetings as game day approaches. Fresno State will have its walk thru on Sunday afternoon at Aloha Stadium.

"This is Thursday in our game week preparation and tomorrow we will have our walk thru," DeRuyter said. "The next day is game day, so I like where we are at and have had a really good week of preparation. Now it is time to focus on the game at hand."

The `Dogs will stick to their normal game day routine on Monday, Dec. 24 before facing SMU in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl at 5 p.m. on ESPN.

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